Teachers and School Employees

News about Teachers and School Employees, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 2, 2015

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel calls for revision of how city funds teacher pensions in light of $200 million in budget cuts for public schools and plans to eliminate 1,400 jobs. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

Supreme Court agrees to hear case Friedrichs v California Teachers Assn, in which California teachers are challenging public-sector union requiring non-members to pay union fees; organized labor leaders express concern about court's decision to hear case, while conservatives, who have long sought to limit power of public unions, hail decision. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

Pine Bush Central School District in upstate New York settles civil rights lawsuit filed by five current and former students who claim to have suffered years of anti-Semitic bullying; agrees to pay $4.48 million and make changes to curriculum and training of staff and teachers. MORE

Jun. 29, 2015

New York State legislators approve law allowing teachers and administrators to discuss certain standardized test questions, but only those publicly released by state; educators had been barred from discussing questions by signing confidentiality agreements. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

Teaching experience is not required for those employees who have been hired to grade Common Core tests, prompting many concerns from educators. MORE

Jun. 21, 2015

Keila Merino, one of nation's top ultramarathon runners, finds challenge of running equal to that of her job teaching underprivileged fourth-graders at Public School X114 in Bronx, where most students are poor, Hispanic and often still learning English. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

States that have introduced more stringent teacher licensing exams are faced with question of whether new exams are racially biased, as minority candidates have been performing particularly poorly; trend is threatening to derail goal of diversifying teacher population to better reflect student demographic, and some states have delayed implementing new tests or loosened requirements until analyses can determine whether they are discriminatory. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

Editorial praises Massachusetts for improvements in its lowest-performing school districts, citing mill town of Lawrence, where graduation rates have risen from 52 percent to 67 percent; holds state's receivership process, which pursued incremental change rather than overhaul, and which sought strong partnerships with parents, community leaders and teachers, presents strong model for reform across nation. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Jordan Ellenberg warns that states that have discarded Common Core education standards are simply replacing them with essentially same standards, due to fact that standardized testing is required as part of federal funding; notes change is largely cosmetic, abandoning Common Core brand while keeping in place many of its methods; suggests true change can only come by focusing on attracting the best teachers. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Joe Nocera Op-Ed column praises recommendations made by Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness, headed by Prof Deborah Loewenberg Ball, for establishing effective teacher evaluation system; laments that legislation that would have put council's recommendations in place failed to pass Michigan Legislature, but urges other states to learn from what Ball proposed. MORE

Jun. 6, 2015

Federal Judge Kimba M Wood rules that Liberal Arts and Sciences Test administered from 2004 to 2012 to assess New York teaching candidates was racially discriminatory; finds that Evaluation Systems, which made test under name National Evaluation Systems, went about process in backwards manner. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

Mandera Journal; attacks by Somali Islamist extremist group Shabab on teachers in areas like Mandera, Kenya, has led to shortages of educators and led to dozens of school closings in area; region had historically suffered from neglect and poor educational infrastructure, and now teachers, many of whom come from other parts of country, refuse to return for fear of their lives. MORE

May. 17, 2015

Op-Ed article by science writer David Kohn supports growing group of scientist, education researchers and educators who are skeptics of teacher-led early learning; holds that early didactic instruction may actually worsen academic performance, and suggests that children in pre-school, kindergarten and even first and second grade be allowed to spend the bulk of their time at school in creative play. MORE

May. 1, 2015

Judge Jerry W Baxter reduces sentences for three former Atlanta administrators in cheating case from seven years in prison to three. MORE

May. 1, 2015

Michigan Gov Rick Snyder unveils proposal to overhaul Detroit public school system by creating two districts--one to manage debt and other to oversee schools daily operations; hundreds of teachers gather at State Capitol in Lansing to protest plan. MORE

Apr. 21, 2015

Teachers' unions nationwide are pushing back on annual tests given to elementary and middle school students, after years of being criticized on issues like tenure, collective bargaining rights and teacher evaluations; push against testing comes as Congress considers how to revise 2001 No Child Left Behind law, which emphasizes test scores and punitive measures for failing schools; unions are working closely with parents who oppose rigorous testing called for by Common Core. MORE

Apr. 14, 2015

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry W Baxter urges prosecutors and defense lawyers to work out appropriate sentencing deal for 10 Atlanta public school educators, all convicted of racketeering and other charges in one of nation's largest school cheating scandals. MORE

Apr. 12, 2015

News Analysis; proportion of teachers of color in United States has not kept up with growing population of minority students, who are now make up majority in public schools. MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

Federal Judge Kimba M Wood will review New York State teacher exam for signs that it is discriminatory against black and Hispanic applicants, who have been passing test at lower rates. MORE

Apr. 1, 2015

New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo wins compromises from teachers' unions on issues like teacher evaluations and tenure and how to handle underperforming schools. MORE

Mar. 25, 2015

Hillary Rodham Clinton, as she readies for likely second presidential run, is being pulled in opposite ways on education; pressure on one side is coming from teachers who are expected to back her again, and on the other from wealthy Democratic donors who strongly support many policies that teachers unions have opposed during Pres Obama's tenure. MORE

Mar. 25, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column examines pitfalls of system of rewarding or punishing teachers depending on their students' performances on standardized tests, some variation of which will be implemented in most of United States by 2017; assesses arguments both for and against such systems, and underscores degree to which unintended consequences can be mitigated by successful implementation and review. MORE

Mar. 23, 2015

Teachers, administrators, unions and parents across New York State are protesting Gov Andrew M Cuomo's plan to increase the weight of test scores in teacher evaluations to 50 percent; Cuomo has insisted that current ratings are inflated, with teachers in many districts receiving high scores even as large proportion of their students fail standardized tests; clash highlights difficulty in finding evaluation system that works. MORE

Mar. 17, 2015

David Brooks Op-Ed column uses example of teacher evaluations, which are quantitative rather than qualitative, to suggest that economy needs new generation of valued skills; holds problem is huge cultural lag in which current vocabulary can only describe those skills required 30 years ago. MORE

Mar. 14, 2015

German Federal Constitutional Court rules that female Muslim teachers may wear head scarves in school, overturning 2003 decision that led several German states to pass laws banning headcovers for educators. MORE

Mar. 13, 2015

New York State Supreme Court Justice Philip G Minardo allows lawsuit challenging constitutionality of teacher tenure laws to move forward, denying motion by city, state and union officials to dismiss case; suit alleges that laws jeopardize quality of education by making it too difficult to fire bad teachers. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

School district technology directors across country are struggling to keep up with and keep track of companies that collect information about students through digital education tools; many start-ups market their products directly to teachers and often offer them for free, and some districts have already experienced data breaches due to software purchased by teachers. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Federal agents identify two additional victims in case against Bronx High School of Science teacher Jon Cruz, who is charged with producing, receiving and possessing child pornography; newly-identified boys, discovered through search of Cruz's cellphone, are among his own students. MORE

Mar. 1, 2015

Eileen Valinoti On Work column relates her experience teaching a high-school anatomy class following 20-year absence from the workforce. MORE

Feb. 28, 2015

New York City teachers' union is scrapping kindergarten-to-eighth-grade portion of its UFT Charter School because students performed poorly on state tests; heaps blame on tests themselves, saying parents of elementary school's students were quite satisfied. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column contends that Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker, frontrunner in race for Republican presidential nomination, has built his attacks on teachers unions, key part of his platform, on errors and false premises; notes Walker has claimed clerical mistakes when called out on some of his false moves, while he continues to push other aspects of anti-union agenda. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Jim Dwyer About New York column describes discord between New York's Catholic school teachers and New York Archdiocese over raises and school closings; archdiocese says it has offered teachers contract renewal with no raise along with promise not to close any more ailing New York City schools, or alternative of 1 percent raise and 10 school closings; teachers find both proposals unacceptable. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Terrorist attacks in France have placed increased focus on role of teachers in instilling moral and civic values and respect for rule of law; teachers call task difficult one that should be shared by individual families and culture at large; of particular focus are debates regarding respect for religious faith and freedom to criticize religion. MORE

Feb. 6, 2015

Number of college graduates applying to Teach for America program has fallen for second year in a row, with applications down by 10 percent compared to same period in 2014; organization points to rebounding economy with more job offers for graduates as one reason for decline; critics say program's short training time, ties to education standards movement and political connections may be driving applicants away. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Peshawar Journal; police in Peshawar, Pakistan, are offering voluntary firearms instruction to school teachers and university lecturers after Taliban massacred 150 people at Peshawar school in December 2014; gun ownership is common in Pakistan, but idea of arming teachers with guns makes many parents uneasy. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Op-Ed article by psychologist Susan Pinker notes research showing increased technology in schools has potential to widen class divide in education rather than narrow it; observes that children in poor families are often exposed to more screen time than wealthier peers and, with less supervision by overworked parents, use computers for largely noneducational purposes; holds technology alone will not fix problem, and says money for computers should be matched by teacher training. MORE

Jan. 26, 2015

Bipartisan group of New Jersey lawmakers approves measure that would require public schoolteachers to receive more suicide prevention education, expanding on legislation passed in 2005. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo plans to push for controversial changes to state's education policy, setting him at odds with teachers' unions and possibly New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; union leaders and other critics say issues such as teacher evaluations are distraction from Cuomo's underfunding of public schools in favor of charter schools. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

Excellence in Theater Education Award, new Tony award, will be given annually to a theater teacher who has made significant impact on students' lives. MORE

Dec. 31, 2014

New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo's veto of legislation to protect teachers who receive two consecutive 'ineffective' performance ratings based on poor student test scores could leave hundreds of teachers in danger of termination; teacher's union has pointed at inadequate preparation time under new Common Core curriculum standards, but Cuomo continues to focus on 2015 goal of making it easier to remove teachers with low ratings. MORE

Dec. 19, 2014

New York Gov Andrew Cuomo plans to use his power in state budget process to push education reforms, including increasing number of charter schools and easing restrictions on firing teachers. MORE

Dec. 19, 2014

Op-Ed article by part-time waitress and English instructor Brittany Bronson wonders why society looks at blue-collar work as far more inferior than white-collar work; describes her experience navigating between both jobs and shame she feels working as a restaurant server; argues that there is more similarity between these worlds than not. MORE

Dec. 17, 2014

New York State officials and education experts say New York City appears to be doing better job of evaluating teachers than rest of state, with more teachers earning highest, second-highest and lowest rankings. MORE

Dec. 3, 2014

Report by National Council on Teacher Quality, nonprofit group that advocates tougher teacher standards, asserts that over course of their careers, teachers in certain cities earn far less than those elsewhere and hit their pay scale maximum far later, making it hard for them to live a basic middle-class life. MORE

Nov. 26, 2014

Education Dept announces preliminary rules requiring states to develop rating systems for teacher preparation programs, including job placement and retention rates of graduates and the academic performance of their students. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

New York State officials announce roughly 20 percent drop in the number of candidates who passed teacher certification tests in the 2013-14 school year; drop-off reflects tougher exams, with officials portraying result as a long-needed move to raise the level of teaching and the performance of teacher preparation schools. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Behavior-tracking app ClassDojo is used by at least one teacher in one of three schools in United States; many teachers say program helps them automate job of recording classroom conduct, as well as letting them communicate directly with parents; some parents, teachers and privacy law experts are wary of ClassDojo's ramifications for data privacy and fairness. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Sexual abuse charges are dropped against Mathe Thomsen, former intern at International Preschools in Manhattan; five-month investigation by Manhattan district attorney's office failed to find evidence to support case and videos shot by Mariangela Kefalas, teacher who reported Thomsen to police, do not show criminal conduct. MORE

Nov. 11, 2014

Education Dept is directing states to show how they will ensure that all students have equal access to high-quality teachers, with sharp focus on schools with high proportion of poor and racial minorities. MORE

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